This edition of the column--entitled "VOD II: The Empire Strikes Back"--sees Collette arguing that a number of emerging developments in the VOD space may mean that the cable industry has less to fear from Netflix and other OTT upstarts than many might suspect.

Interactive TV and conditional access technology provider, NDS, said Tuesday that its technologies are powering VOD for the Astro B.yond platform of its existing customer, Malaysia-based Astro. According to the company, the technologies are allowing Astro subscribers to access local and international VOD content over DTH, IP, or hybrid mechanisms that combine both IP and DTH.

--Report: Comcast to Begin Testing RS-DVR Later This Year or Early Next Year
--Comcast Ups the Amount of Starz Content on its VOD Platform
--Burger King Interactive TV Campaign Lets DirecTV Customers Watch Hamburger to Win Coupons
--MSA's Media Software to Automate Sale of Canoe Ventures' Interactive TV Solutions

Due to the large volume of news being generated this week by the Cable Show, we are covering today's stories in abbreviated round-up/summary form:

--icueTV Teaming with Groupon on tcommerce Demo at Cable Show
--Imagina US Taps Comcast Media Center for VOD Delivery
--Insight Taps itaas for EBIF Deployment
--itaas Launches iLaunch Program to Expedite Development and Deployment of EBIF Apps

Due to the large volume of news being generated this week by the Cable Show, we are covering today's stories in abbreviated round-up/summary form:

U.S. cable operators may be ready to add interactive advertising to video-on-demand programming, based on the results of interoperability tests that CableLabs held recently in Colorado.

Among the interactive features CableLabs and 11 technology suppliers demonstrated at its Interoperability Lab event was the ability to run interactive applications within VOD content, including a VOD server playing an ad with a RFI (request for information) application.

In addition to supporting mid-roll ads, BlackArrow said its new platform gives service providers greater control over trick-modes, including a way to disable the fast-forward function for programmers that don't want subscribers skipping commercials. BlackArrow said it will also support third-party advertising systems.

Comcast Corp. added popular series from ABC and Fox to its lineup of free video-on-demand programming, boasting that it is the first pay TV provider to offer content from all four Big Four networks on demand.

Ten Hollywood studios renewed a marketing campaign organized by major cable operators looking to tout their video-on-demand platform as best way for viewers watch new movies.

The studios and cable MSOs are spending $10 million in cash and cable ad inventory on the campaign, which has the tag line "Push It," from the song by rap group Salt-N-Pepa. Last year, the cable MSOs and studios spent $30 million on a similar campaign called, "The Video Store Just Moved In."